The Curious Case of Whitlea White
by Falsetta-Arias
Summary: Whitlea White was a legend that blew over Unova as quickly as it came. She singlehandedly saved Unova from destruction by two very angry legendary beasts, or so the news said in these exact vague terms. Hilbert sat next to her on a train to Anville; she gave him a mystery that turned the world inside out.
1. Chapter 1

A/N- I'm seriously stuck on Metamorphosis. Seriously. I'm writing this to loosen up my mind a little bit. I'm trying to write this in a different style, loose and a bit fragmented and whimsical. Just putting words on paper, or computer, without seriously thinking too hard. Just jotting down phrases that comes to mind...

This is a mystery. It's probably going to be long. It's more on the mature side with darker themes and an intricately twisted plot, but I can't go against my my fangirl longings for cutesy romances, so yea, there is ChessShipping. Lots.

One more story for ChessShippers out there. There is just not enough ChessShipping...

(Brief apology inserted here for bad grammar.)

* * *

"_Breaking report just came in that a giant castle has mysteriously appeared at the Pokemon League. We have reasons to believe Team Plasma is behind this but we have not received any official word from the League as of— Holy Foongus! Is that Reshiram and Zekrom? It appears they are fiercely dueling above the cas—"_

_-Unova News Station- June 1, 2XXX 11:45 a.m._

"_We apologize for the break in transmission. There was a large explosion on top of the castle and the legendaries are nowhere to be seen. We are uncertain of what had happened but it was most likely just the beginning. Er…what? It's over? Oh… Well, our reporter at the scene just sent in news that a young trainer has ceased the fighting between Reshiram and Zekrom and thwarted Team Plasma's plan. This young trainer's name is Whitlea White….."_

_-Unova News Station-June 1, 2XXX 11:59 a.m._

_**Ch. 1- There are things in this world that is a mystery to all who are living.**  
_

He recognized her right away.

The trees outside her window blurred as the train picked up speed. The iron Seviper glided smoothly across the stretch of land between Nimbasa and Anville. Soon, it broke through the forest and continued to slither across a sky-blue lake where the sky and water blended seamlessly in color at the horizon.

He thought her eyes were especially pretty, catching and reflecting the light bouncing lightly off the water surface. They were all the same shade: the sky, the lake, and her eyes.

He caught himself right there. It was very unlike him to let his thoughts run rampart like this and he did not like it. Readjusting his bag to his left shoulder while rummaging through his pocket with his right hand, he dug out his ticket. His assigned seat was a couple of rows behind her, but the seat next to her was free and his curiosity was killing him…

"Um…so how badly did you lose to Alder?"

She looked up in surprise at the strange boy leaning awkwardly over the seat next to hers, not sure whether to sit or stand. Tuffs of brown hair peaked out from beneath his cap which he reached up to fiddle with.

"Excuse me?"

"How badly did you lose to Alder, you know, the champion?"

"I heard you the first time, thank you. Though that doesn't explain at all why you're asking in the first place."

Her icy tone made him realize he forgot the 'Hi! My name is… And your name?' formality fluff that usually goes in the beginning of a conversation with strangers. He always forgets; very curious since you can't find another person with better memory than him in all of Unova.

"You're Whitlea White." The strange boy stated matter-in-factly. "I saw you on a special broadcast when you defeated the Elite Four. Since I haven't heard about a new champion, I assume you lost to Alder."

He was still awkwardly half-standing-half-sitting hovering above the empty seat next to her. She moved over a bit though there was plenty of space. It successfully signaled to him it was okay to completely plant his butt down on the cushion.

"…I…didn't get to challenge him."

"Huh. I thought they would reschedule your match VIP style. Since you saved Unova and all."

Her blue eyes widened. Just then, the train entered another thick forest. He thought her eyes stood out particularly well against the dark foliage.

"I thought everyone has already forgotten about that."

"I don't forget."

She didn't say anything after that. After watching the trees pass by for a couple of minutes, he came up with another topic to talk about. Though, she beat him to the punch.

"You know what? Saving the world sucked."

"Tell me about it."

He meant it to be a question, but her comment was out of the blue and his intonation didn't come out right. Her shoulders quivered. Then, unable to contain herself, she threw her head back against the headrest and laughed till everyone in the train car stared.

"Oh yeah? Please do share with me your world-saving experience. Maybe we can exchange tips and split the fee to hire a post-traumatic stress therapist."

"Hey, was it that bad? I thought it would be kind of… glorifying. Bet you can't top that in any other résumés."

The train bounded across another stretch of water. Her eyes became lost in the watery blue, aimlessly scanning the surface of the water where a flock of Swanna took flight.

"It changes your world…At least, it changed mine."

"Huh."

He quietly uttered the most intelligent answer he could come up with. He sensed she didn't want to say anymore on that. So, he let the silence hang; she surprised him by breaking it.

"You know, I'm really happy…that you remembered me, remembered what I did. It's been four years since then and it happened so quickly that many people didn't even know about it. So…thanks."

He shrugged, "I told you, I don't forget. You even look exactly the same as you did four years ago. You sound exactly the same too when you laughed just now. You have an odd little trill at the end of your laugh that makes it hard to forget."

She didn't reply again. He thought she looked kind of stiff hunched over and wondered if he offended her. Her shoulders quivered and he thought she would laugh again. He waited, but nothing came out but a soft whimper. Something big and wet splashed on her creamy thighs, again and again. He followed the waterworks up to find her eyes welled up with fat tears.

"Wa-wait what huh wait!"

But she didn't wait, letting violent sobs escape her quivering lips. Her sobs garnered the attention of all the passengers again, this time they whispered and accusatorily pointed fingers at him. Maybe a bad break up? He does look kind of cold-blooded…

He didn't catch any of the dirty looks. He was busy trying to calm the poor girl down, albeit to no avail. For her sobs were almost heart-breaking, the kind that came from so deep within where only the darkest memories lied. The kind of darkness that seeps out at night when consciousness's guard is down, mutating dreams into nightmares that ransacks the mind's order. The worse kind is when it traps the mind groping for an exit, finding none and spiraling down into the all consuming darkness…

He wasn't sure why these thoughts came to him. Perhaps he feels a sort of solidarity? A connection that bridges a piece of his burdened heart with a piece of hers? Though he shouldn't assume such things when she was almost a perfect stranger, but his intuitions were almost always correct. His intuitions, though, were not at all helpful in drying the tears of the figure in front of him.

"L-look. I'm sorry about whatever I said…everything I said! I shouldn't have said you looked the same as you did four years ago…I thought girls like it when they are told they look young. Oh, maybe they don't like to be told they look _too _young. Sorry I said your laugh is odd, I didn't know you are sensitive about that…or maybe you are… Gah, I'm sorry okay?"

It didn't help.

"H-hey please stop crying? If you stop crying, I'll buy you ice cream when we get to Anville. Two scoops."

She trembled again. Her sobs became muddled with another strange noise. Soon the other noise took over completely and she was laughing! Laughing and laughing while tears still streamed down her cheek and while trying not to choke on her own snot. Slightly annoyed stares from the other passengers fell on the two teens again, this time they began to question the mental stability of that brown-headed girl. Maybe she escaped from an insane asylum…or forgot to take meds to mitigate PMS.

"What am I, _five? _Do I look _that _young that you feel the need to bribe me with ice cream? Don't guys usually say something manly and sexy in situations like this, like 'Hey baby, come cry on my chest. My broad broad shoulders can bear any burden of your heart.'"

"Good Arceus. Where the Ho-oh did you get an awful line like that?"

"Some seriously ancient movie on late-night TV. It was even in black and white."

"Those still exist?"

"Ugh, tell me about it."

They paused. She snickered and he couldn't help but to follow. Then they both roared with laughter until their bellies complained. Two passengers fished out ear buds from their bags while murmuring under their breaths. _Those crazy teenagers…_

Her eyes were still puffy and red, but he could tell her smile was genuine. Outside, Anville Town materialized out of the thick foliage. The train slowed as it rolled into station.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" She asked.

"Huh? I don't forget."

"_Your name_? You know, the thing you usually give first to people you just met? Common sense?"

"Oh…" His cheeks flushed slightly, "Hilbert, just Hilbert."

She reached out a hand for him to shake. "Nice to meet you, Just Hilbert. I'm Whitlea White. I believe someone owes me ice cream?"

"Two scoops coming right up." He took her hand, her skin felt like his childhood friend Bianca's. "Just like I promised."

* * *

A/N-You know what? "Holy Foongus" is my new favorite swear. Previously it was "What the Muk?" (I love coming up with Pokemon swears. If you've read my other Pokemon story, you would find my creations sprinkled throughout.)

This is a mystery. So you lovely reviewer can send in your theories to me in your reviews and I can reply via PM how close you are, but I won't tell you which part is correct and which part is wrong. This said, if you just send in one or two statements hoping to hit the mark I might not tell you how close you are because it's too easy to do process of elimination on which is the right statement.

Like the title of this story, the biggest mystery would be Whitlea White herself (though it may also be the easiest...). But that's not the only mystery, there are actualy a lot of other things to guess on, like Hilbert, what happened in N's castle. As the story continues, more mysteries are going to be revealed. You can send in new guesses and theories every chapter or revise your old ones.

Even if you don't feel like guessing and just want to watch the story unfold, please please still feed me with reviews?


	2. Chapter 2

A/N-We're getting into the back story just a little bit in this chapter. This whole plot is driven by what _had_ happened instead of what _will_ happen. Feel free to submit your theories. :)

My Hilbert and Whitlea are partially based off of Br33zy's Option Other. I absolutely loved the characterization of Hilda and Hilbert in that fic that just left me longing for more. That said, my Whitlea and Hilbert both have a little darker edge to them and during the course of planning, they sort of spun out in a way I didn't plan. Hilbert became a little like me in personality instead, a true INTP based on the Myer-Briggs personality test. He even makes me laugh how bad he is in social situations sometimes, then I stop and think, "Oh wait, I'm like that too, damn."

Please enjoy and please review!

* * *

"_Whitlea decided to travel the world instead of challenging the champion. Her sudden decision has surprised me too and we are very close. I guess being caught up in such a big event changed her. She wanted me to send her apologies to all the people supporting her up to the League. Whitlea's also deeply regretful for not being about to make this apology personally. She told me she was overwhelmed with a desire to take the first ship to Kanto, which she did. Huh? Her exact location right now? Well I'm not sure but last time she called she said she was about to head into Eterna Forest I believe. That is in Sinnoh? Oh, I'm sorry, I must be mistaken then…"_

_-Interview with Cecelia White on Trainer Scoops: Unova Edition-July 3, 2XXX._

_**Ch. 2- The past no longer turns the wheels into the future, so where are we headed now?**_

Anville Town has changed, Hilbert thought. The last time he was here it was almost four years ago. For one, there was now a Pokemon Center for weary traders and train enthusiasts who were drawn to this tiny town. That was not the only new construction; there were noticeably a couple more that stood out to be grander in style than the scattered two-story houses that were of the majority.

"There is a stand right there." Whitlea pointed at the tiny establishment in front of the new Pokemon Center.

"What flavor?"

"Don't care."

The last time she was here it was four years ago. She didn't care to marvel at the new buildings. She didn't care to reminisce about her previous travels here. It was high noon; the sun's rays bounced off the shiny steel in the train yard as trains of all age and model gleamed. It was beautiful; Whitlea didn't care.

She watched Hilbert order. Then she watched the trainers come and go from the Pokemon Center. Whitlea liked people watching; they are unique and diverse and…unpredictable. She liked that.

"Here." Hilbert appeared next to her, "I thought we should try newest flavor: Mystery Mix. I tried asking, but no dice on what possibly could be in here. Supposedly the name should give us a clue on the main ingredient."

Whitlea gingerly accepted a cone with pink, green, and orange swirled together in two magnificently tall scoops. She licked it.

"Mmm…mysterious."

"Yea. Kind of an odd flavor, but good. Hard to describe, huh."

"Yea," Whitlea agreed, "but good."

Hilbert took a delicate bite out of his, trying to sift the flavor through his taste buds. "Have you had anything like it?"

"No, never."

They ate in silence for awhile. Whitlea spoke up.

"Aren't you going to ask what the Ho-oh is wrong with me?"

"Uh no. There is a policeman right there. If I make you cry again he might just take me down to the station. I don't really feel like taking a side trip there even when I don't have more pressing things to do."

She giggled, "You suck at comforting girls."

"You're laughing."

"At you. You know that right?"

"Either way works."

They ate in silence again until her cone was finished and his was too. "What is this 'more pressing thing,' if you don't mind me asking?"

Hilbert paused to check the time and the map on his X-transceiver. "I'm on an errand for Professor Juniper to pick up something at the new biology lab. It's so new that my X-transceiver isn't even updated with its location. Suppose I'll just ask the locals."

"If it's the new Juniper and Oak lab, I know where it is."

"You do?"

"Yea. Just follow me."

Whitlea started due west only to pause to beckon Hilbert to follow when he didn't budge.

"Wait. Don't you have things to do here too?"

Whitlea cocked her head sideways, as if trying in earnest to recall the reason she traveled to Anville. "No not really. I came just because."

"People don't come to Anville Town 'just because.' It's not exactly prime spot to hang out, you know.  
They come to trade, or to see the trains, or on business, like me."

"So I can't come here because I don't have a purpose?"

"Well, you can. It's just not logical. It's a waste of time."

"And you are the judge whether it's a waste of time for me or not?"

For the second time today, her words were edged with ice. Hilbert winced at their coldness when they traveled through his ears.

"I…um…sorry." It was the best he could come up with.

Whitlea shook her head. "It's fine. I'm sorry too. Hey, can I call you Hil?"

"Sure."

"Hil, what's your purpose? I mean, what are you?"

"Pokemon Trainer by class. Though to be more specific, I'm a field research assistant for Professor Juniper."

"Well then, I'm a traveler. I travel across different regions."

"Like on a Pokemon journey?"

"No. Not like that. A journey implies there is a destination. I don't have one, I just…travel."

Hilbert stared, his mouth parted slightly before he forced them shut again.

Whitlea's grin returned, "I can tell you're just dying to ask why."

"Er…would that earn me points or daggers? I fear the latter."

She laughed. She laughs easily, Hilbert noted.

"You know how legendary Pokemon can appear anywhere in the whole world and it's practically a miracle to chance upon one? I guess I'm traveling hoping to chance upon a miracle."

"So you're looking for legendaries? Or was that suppose to be figurative?"

"Hm…a bit of both, I suppose."

He was dying to ask why again, but it was the end of the conversation for her. Wordlessly, she turned to head west to Juniper and Oak lab.

* * *

"You're saying I can't get the specimen…"

"…because the other researcher has it…"

"…and he is all the way across Anville Town at some bank place."

Hilbert and Whitlea looked at each other after summarizing what the research assistant had informed them. She had a bob and boobs that both…bounced as she forcefully tapped one foot impatiently on the ground.

"Yeah sorry kids, can't do much for ya. Either you trek across town or come back tomorrow. Got research to do."

She slammed the door. Whitlea kicked the air in front of the closed door and muttered some curses.

"Research doesn't justify acting like a complete ass."

Hilbert just slowly stepped down the stairs of the front door, hands in his pocket and was silent till he got to the last step. Whitlea begrudgingly followed behind.

"She wasn't doing research in there. Her hair was slightly mussed and her skirt was on backward."

"You mean she was taking a nap?"

Hilbert only glanced at her quickly before facing the road back. He reached up to adjust his cap down a little.

"You don't need to take off your skirt to take a nap. There was also a fresh red mark on her neck."

"What? Oh. Ohhhhhhh." Whitlea glanced at Hilbert's face, but it was hidden beneath the rim of his hat. "You're good at observing."

"It's what I do best, along with memorizing."

"Are you blushing?"

"A-am not."

"…Are too."

* * *

"You sure you want to come with? The bank is kind of far."

"I told you I'm traveling, right?" The sun was going down behind them. Whitlea walked slightly ahead of him so their shadows were of even height even though Hilbert was almost a head taller than her. "So I'm doing what I said I do: traveling."

They journeyed in silence for a while.

"So do you always ask random girls to recount their losses to you?"

"What? Oh, you mean that…Alder told me no one had managed to defeat more than three of his Pokemon. So I was just curious how many Pokemon it took him to beat you."

"You don't believe I would win if I had challenged him?"

"Nah."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"I haven't seen you battle, but I assure you it takes a stampede to knock Alder off of his high Bouffalant."

"…You seem to admire him very much."

"I guess he's my hero. He saved me once, when I was in a dump. As corny as it sounds, he showed me the light."

"The man can do no wrong, huh."

"I don't believe he can. As rough as he looks, he really is as kind as a man can get."

Whitlea bit her lip, a habit that she has while thinking. She might've had made her lips bleed if Hilbert didn't change the topic.

"So…you never told me about it. About saving Unova, I mean. Of course, if you're comfortable with sharing…"

She saw his eyes pleading though he tried to hide it. Whitlea could tell he has a high propensity to sticking his nose everywhere that caught his interest, regardless of whether he was wanted of not. She didn't at all wanted to discuss the events in N's castle, but a childish part of her wanted to tease him...

"Hm…it's like this, have you ever had a battle with someone where victory was just a Joltik-length away but all in one brief moment the tide turned completely against you?"

"All the time actually." Hilbert saw in his mind's eye the face of his childhood rival Cheren smirking away.

"You feel like fate cheated you of victory, of glory, of pride."

"Yeah, but I usually just demand a rematch." He thought about the number of times he and Cheren had battled when they were children, tiring themselves out with rematch after rematch until they both couldn't remember the number of victories and losses any more.

"You don't get a redo saving the world."

"Are you saying you lost? But you did save the world."

"I lost _something_ in that castle, Hil. Something I can't get back."

She wasn't looking at him at this point. Slowly, he dropped his gaze from her face. He wanted to ask, _badly_. Once his curiosity was peaked there was nothing that could stop it from snowballing downhill. He knew he shouldn't ask, that prying was in the top ten of bad social etiquettes. Then again, Hilbert never liked etiquettes; it usually hindered his research and involved too many nuances he didn't really care about.

Curiosity won. He opened his mouth to ask only to close it again as he struggled to find the best way to phrase it. He figured he should show some compassion and tact, but that wasn't his style. What wasn't his style came slow to him and he usually gave up out of frustration.

"So what was it that you lost?" He asked in his usual style: direct, laconic, and often tactless.

"…Ice cream."

"…"

It took him a moment to realize that he was sufficiently trolled and quietly admitted defeat. Whitlea tugged on his jacket and pulled him to a stop.

"You are going to step in it," she pointed at the ground.

Three paces away was a puddle of pink, green, and orange formed by an ice cream cone completely melted. Hilbert realized they were in front of the ice cream stand that sold this particular flavor again. From the size of the puddle, some unfortunate soul dropped the whole cone before having the chance to enjoy it at all. Hilbert stepped around it and thought it was a shame that it went to waste. It wasn't a flavor particularly memorable, but it was something to puzzle over and for Hilbert that was the fun.

"So, how many badges do you have?" Whitlea started. No matter how hard Hilbert tried to shift the conversation back, he could not.

* * *

By dusk, they had met up with the researcher who politely apologized for his absence. Hilbert politely chose not to mention what his assistant was doing while he was out.

Another man was with the researcher, a stout aged gentleman with a mustache that reminded Hilbert of a Stoutland. He was introduced as the president of the Anville branch of Persian Bank. Upon seeing Hilbert, his beady eyes widened and he became visibly apprehensive which Hilbert's keen eyes quickly took note. They made small talk for a little bit before parted ways. Hilbert was asked to come back to the bank in the morning since the specimen was on display that was scheduled to end the next day.

After a day of fruitless ambling, Hilbert was ready to drop onto the nearest bed. Whitlea settled herself in front of the TV in the lounge of the Pokemon Center, watching an old soap opera that was left on and occasionally making a face but made no attempt to change the channel. She glanced at Hilbert during a particularly distasteful scene and chose to start a conversation instead.

"What are you going to do next?"

"Go to bed? Don't know where your energy is from, but I'm ready to sleep like a Snorlax."

"I mean after you get the specimen."

"Take it back to the Juniper Lab in Nuvema Town."

"What are you going to do after that?

"Run more errands for the professor."

"What are you going to do after that?"

"Travel around I guess. Maybe go collect the badges I'm missing or fill some more of the Pokedex."

"What are you going to do after that?"

"...Jump off a bridge."

That got her to stop.

"Basically you're not going to stop traveling anytime soon, right?"

"Not in the foreseeable future."

"Good…" She placed her chin on her knees, "Can I come with?"

That surprised him; they had known each other for a day. Sure they got along famously…with only a couple of hiccups here and there, but it worried him that Whitlea was so trusting with a near stranger, not that he would try anything…

"Um…isn't that a little…_"_

"I'm a super easygoing companion. I require only three meals a day and maybe an ice cream cone now and then."

"You hardly know me. We'd have to camp together at night, you know that right? Just the two of us? Probably in a dark forest where nobody can hear you scream?"

Her lips twitched up in amusement, "Haha thanks for the concern. I know you won't try anything if what happened this afternoon was any indication."

"…I wasn't blushing."

"Were too."

Hilbert gave up and laid his weary head on the back of the sofa. He then closed his eyes and pretended to be sleeping.

"You're a nice guy, Hilbert, a really nice guy. I know I haven't known you for long, but I could just tell. Call it sixth sense if you will, but my intuition is as good as your skills of observation."

"I can assure you your intuition is wrong this time." Hilbert's reply had an unusually hard edge.

Whitlea gave him a sideway glance, "Wanna make a bet? Let's travel together, and I'll prove you wrong."

"No."

He got up without another word and left. Halfway to the door, he heard a soft whisper of goodnight behind him. He turned briefly to look at her, still with her chin on her knees huddling over looking small and fragile. A pane of guilt hit, but at the same time, anger too. How dare she make such a definite assumption when she didn't know anything about him? How dare she be so openly trusting? How dare she… How dare she…

How _could_ she?

Hilbert knew he couldn't. He could never risk exposing vulnerability to others in fear of getting hurt. He could never do what she did, willingly put trust in someone else first in order to gain trust back…

He didn't know how she could, but one thing he did know for sure: he wasn't a nice guy.

He left the room without saying sorry.

* * *

A/N-"Sorry kids, got research_er_ to do." HAHAHAhaha...that was so bad I think I deserve to slap myself. -slap- You know, lab work is boring sometimes, you got to find a way to occupy all that time waiting for chemistry to happen. Meanwhile...why shouldn't researchers make some other kind of chemistry happen...

AHAHAhaha that was so bad I think I should slap myself again... -slap-

The mystery of the mystery flavor Mystery Mix is a stupid little mystery that actually is important to plot later. It's not exactly worth guessing on though.

Reviews would be appreciated. Please leave a comment if you read it and liked it? I don't know how many people actually read my story...


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